Die Macht » in a 20-17 win, then threw a costly in

GAP, France -- Hurtling too fast for comfort down a twisty, turning foothill of the Alps, Tour de France leader Chris Froome faced a high-speed choice between risk and reward. The Briton knew that 10 years previously almost day for day on exactly the same descent, Joseba Beloki shattered his leg, elbow and wrist bones rounding a corner too fast and Lance Armstrong plowed into a field to avoid the prone Spaniard howling in pain. So Froome wanted to go easy. Trouble is, Alberto Contador didnt. Against his better instincts, Froome chased after his Spanish rival who rode hell for leather on the treacherous downhill with asphalt made gooey and slippery by the July heat. Just like Armstrong, flirting with disaster nearly cost Froome the Tour. Contador crashed as he rounded a right-hand corner, forcing Froome to swerve around him off the road, onto the grass and to put a foot down to stay upright. Unlike Contador, who bloodied his right knee, Froome escaped with just a fright. Still, this drama on Tuesdays Stage 16 proved a point that Froome and his Sky team have made time and again: despite his big lead, Froome wont savour victory until hes on the cobbles of the Champs-Elysees in Paris on Sunday. "One second you could be going for the finish and about to win a race and the next youre lying in a ditch somewhere, with a broken bone," Froome said. "I knew it was the descent where Beloki crashed so I was purposefully laying off a little bit and trying to take it easy but at the same time also trying to keep touch with the Saxobank guys who were really pushing the limits." By that, Froome meant Contador and his Saxo-Tinkoff teammate from the Czech Republic, Roman Kreuziger, who are third and fourth in the overall standings but more than four minutes off the lead. Opportunities for them to claw back time are fast running out. The finish line in Paris is now just 668 kilometres (415 miles) and five days away. To their credit, they arent simply accepting defeat but are harassing Froome all the way. If Froome wins, the way his rivals have repeatedly tested the British rider over the three weeks should give him the extra satisfaction of a victory hard-earned. Stage 16 wound from Provence past vineyards, lavender fields and villages clinging to hillsides to the town of Gap, a staging post for what promises to be a grand finale in the Alps for the 100th Tour. For a long while, it seemed that the 168-kilometre (104-mile) trek to Gap from Vaison-la-Romaine, a charming town with old ruins near the Mont Ventoux where Froome won on Sunday, would be one of those Tour stages that dont amount to much. Apparently keeping their powder dry for the Alps, Froome and other main protagonists allowed 26 riders -- none of them a podium threat -- to escape far ahead. The stage winner, Rui Costa, later emerged from that group, riding away on the days last climb, a 9.5-kilometre (6-mile) long ascent to Col de Manse, and then zipping down to Gap. Although the Manse climb is less arduous and less steep than the Ventoux, where Froome blasted past Contador, the Spaniard and Kreuziger used to it test the Briton and his Australian wingman, Richie Porte. Several times, Contador tried accelerating away. Kreuziger did, too. But Porte and then Froome alone wouldnt let them get away. To cool the asphalt, authorities doused the top of the climb with water. But Porte said the road down from there was sticky and slippery -- just as it was in the heat wave of 2003, when Belokis back wheel slid away from him on a bend, hurling him to the ground. Armstrong went on to win that Tour -- only to have that and all six of his other victories in cyclings premier race stripped from him last year for doping. On Tuesday, touching their brakes caused wheels to slip, Porte said. "All of us had a bit of a moment coming down there, losing the front wheel, back wheel," he said. Yet Contador was flying, with Froome in his wake. Rounding a sharp right-hander, "the bike got away from me," Contador said. "It was really difficult. In normal conditions I wouldnt have slipped like that, but it was very difficult terrain," said the 2007 and 09 champion, who was stripped of his 10 title for a failed doping test. "Sometimes you have to go for it, whether its at the start or the end of a stage." Froome said Contador "was taking too many risks." "All teams are starting to get desperate now and theyre taking uncalculated risks," he said. "In my opinion it was a bit dangerous from Alberto to ride like that, its not good." Worryingly for Froome, theres worse to come. Thursdays Stage 18 not only includes a double ascent to the ski station of Alpe dHuez, with its 21 hairpin bends, but also a harrowing descent that several riders have voiced concerns about. Having seen that Froome wasnt completely comfortable chasing after Contador on Tuesday, the risk now is that his rivals could try to unsettle him again on Thursdays downhill from Col de Sarenne. "It is a very dangerous descent. The road surface is not great," Froome said. "And there arent any barriers on the corners, so if you go over the corner then you will fall down a long way. Its a dangerous descent and I hope the riders are aware of that, that they dont take risks like they did today." ------ AP Sports Writer Jerome Pugmire contributed. Paul George Jersey . -- Ryan Getzlaf grabbed the three pucks wrapped in tape and held them up to his chest in the Anaheim Ducks dressing room for a celebration nine seasons in the making. T. J. Leaf Jersey . Pierce was ejected in the third quarter of Indianas 103-86 win Monday. George Hill stole a bad pass and was going in for a layup, and Pierce hustled back and appeared to be trying to wrap him up. https://www.cheappacers.com/1383k-doug-mcdermott-jersey-pacers.html . The 31-year-old Spain midfielder hasnt played since Madrid lost in the Copa del Rey final to Atletico Madrid in May due to back and foot injuries. David West Jersey . -- Jakob Silfverberg is making himself right at home with the Anaheim Ducks, scoring four goals in his first four games. Cheap Pacers Jerseys . - The Washington Redskins have cut defensive lineman Adam Carriker and punter Sav Rocca. DENVER -- Often, when it comes to Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith, the conversation begins with all the things he doesnt do.Doesnt make mistakes. Doesnt throw interceptions. Doesnt necessarily lose games for Kansas City, but doesnt really win them, either.For a difference-making hour Sunday night that could propel the Chiefs into the playoffs, Smith set all that aside and showed everyone what he does do.He drove the Chiefs 75 yards for the tying touchdown late in regulation. He took them another 46 yards to keep overtime going with a field goal. Then, finally, he moved them another 32 yards to put Kansas City in range of the winning field goal.When the kick clanked off the left upright and through, the Chiefs had a 30-27 victory over Denver and sole possession of second place in the rugged AFC West. Smiths pedestrian-looking, 220-yard, one-touchdown night? It became something to celebrate, not bemoan.People can talk, they can say what they want to say, Chiefs linebacker Justin Houston said. We believe in him in the locker room, thats all that matters.The lack of love for the 12th-year quarterback has been front and center in Kansas City virtually since the day he was traded by the 49ers to the Chiefs and landed in the same division with Philip Rivers, Peyton Manning and, eventually, Derek Carr.Over his three-plus seasons in KC, Smith has compiled 37 victories and taken Kansas City (8-3) to the playoffs twice with a third trip looking likely, especially with road wins over Oakland and Denver already in the bank.There are wins, and then there are stats, and those who focus on the latter like to point out that despite Smiths 64 percent completion rate and passer rating in the 90s with Kansas City, his average yards-per-pass-play has never been over 7.4 yards, and hes at 6.6 after the Denver game. For comparisons sake, Manning averaged 6.8 yards last year, which was statistically his worst season as a pro.For more than three quarters against the Broncos, it was the Smith everyone had grown to know and tolerate in Kansas City -- not losing the game for the Chiefs, but certainly not doing anything to win it.At one point in the first half, ESPN Stats and Info tweeted that Smith had dropped back to pass 14 times and those droopbacks had netted a total of 17 yards.ddddddddddddOver Kansas Citys first 12 possessions, Smith was 14 for 25 for 100 yards with no touchdowns -- but no interceptions, either.Over the last three, he went 12 for 19 for 120 yards. That included the game-tying touchdown and 2-point-conversion pass, a drive for a field goal to tie the game in overtime, then another for a 3-pointer to win it.Youre playing faster from the tempo and playing faster at the line, Smith said when asked to explain the desperation turnaround. With that, I think our rhythm comes.But about that first three or so quarters: Theres a lot to learn from that perspective.There have been questions -- still mostly whispers -- about Smiths long-term viability as Kansas Citys answer at quarterback. He has two years left on his contract and is scheduled to earn a $2 million roster bonus in 2017.Smith missed Kansas Citys Nov. 6 game with a concussion and since his return two weeks ago, nobody had been overwhelmed. He struggled to only 178 yards passing against the Panthers in a 20-17 win, then threw a costly interception in a 19-17 loss to Tampa Bay. He hasnt cracked the 300-yard mark since opening day against San Diego, when he engineered the biggest comeback in team history, from 21 points down for the win.But that felt like long, long ago, especially after two games that brought questions about whether Smith had fully recovered from the concussion. After the Denver win, the quarterback suggested his most recent performances may have had as much to do with the quality of the defenses he faced as his health.Neither of those defenses was as good as Denvers. Smith, who got sacked six times and hit eight more while throwing Sunday night, showed himself to be one of the few quarterbacks who could shrug off the punishment the Broncos deliver, then stand tall and pick them apart.Bottom line, says his coach: Forget the stats and focus on the scoreboard.I have respect for the guy, Andy Reid said. Very unappreciated outside these walls. ... Everybody is down on him but he comes through and he shows his mental toughness and pushes through. ' ' '